Free Web NovelChapter 4: Pasta with Meatballs
Luke was taken aback. He studied her expression, assuming she was just joking with him, but the same eyes stared back at him.
Alright. Just let me know what you need me to do.
Lucius walked to the back of her wheelchair and pushed her towards the bathroom, which was attached to the bedroom. He stopped her, just a few steps from the door, and opened it.
The bathroom was just like a modern house bathroom from his world. Tile decorated the lower half of the wall and all of the shower. The porcelain throne stood next to the sink-cabinet combo.
After mapping out the bathroom, Luke came up with a plan. He lifted up the toilet lid and walked back to Valeria, picking her up in a princess carry. Lucius carefully moved through the bathroom, making sure not to hit her legs or head on any protruding edges. When they reached the toilet, he gently set her down on the seat.
Can you do the rest?
Valeria nodded, after reading the note.
Luke walked out of the bathroom shutting the door, but staying nearby in case anything were to happen.
After a minute or two, he heard a flushing noise.
He made sure to wait another minute, before knocking on the door and entering. When he entered she was already dressed and staring at him.
Lucius picked her up and carried her back to the wheelchair.
Are you able to cook? I’m hungry.
Valeria handed the note back to him, which he read, before writing a response.
As long as there are some ingredients in the kitchen, I can whip something up. Do you have anything you want?
She stared at him, processing some thoughts unknown to Luke.
Just make whatever you know how to.
Valeria was surprised that he was willing to cook for her. After all, he had already helped her change clothes and use the bathroom without complaint. She couldn’t help but feel a little guilty; just because they were married this man was forced to help her do everyday tasks.
She remembered the kiss on the cheek and making sure he had permission to carry her into the carriage. Looking back on his actions, she felt an unfamiliar feeling. Not love or affection, but something smaller. Something she hadn’t had since her injuries. It felt like someone was taking care of her, not because it was their duty, but because they genuinely wanted her to be okay.
For a second she almost smiled, before snapping back to reality. It wasn’t the first time someone had tried to get close to her, with intentions that weren’t good. She put up her mental barrier once more, her eyes turning distant once more as she was pushed into the kitchen.
***
Luke had started to search the cabinets for any ingredients he could use to cook. He was shocked to find that every cabinet door he opened was full of utensils, plates, or pots and pans.
The kitchen looked identical to any one from Earth, but that prompted a question in his head. How did the stove, oven, and fridge work?
He thought back to the ad for the microwave he saw during the carriage ride and used this as the basis for an answer.
In this world appliances must use enchantments or some other kind of magic to function as if they had electricity.
This was somewhat confirmed when he opened up the fridge, its light illuminated everything inside. He found sealed packs of bacon, sausage, cartons of eggs, milk, and large quantities of ground meat. When he checked the packaging there were no expiration dates, checking a few more he found them all to be the same.
At this point he was worried that the meat would spoil before he got around to using it all.
Luke walked over to the dining table where Valeria was sitting and grabbed the pen and paper.
There is so much meat in the fridge. Isn’t it going to spoil before we use it all.
When Valeria read the note, she looked puzzled, before reaching her hand out for the pen.
Refrigerators have an anti-spoiling spatial enchantment, why would the meat spoil? Literally every fridge in the world has it. Have you forgotten how refrigerators work?
Haha, it must have just slipped my mind. While I’m cooking you can go wait in the living room, if you want. There are quite a few books in there.
Valeria nodded, but didn’t move. She just quietly sat at the table.
Luke went back to the fridge and pulled out a pack of ground meat, before opening the pantry nearby. There was an endless assortment of canned goods and boxes. He searched through the pantry, finding a box of elbow-shaped pasta and a tomato sauce.
Next, he grabbed a pot and a skillet he had seen while searching the cabinets before. He filled the pot with water from the sink and set it on the stove. Luke looked around for some kind of oil, but he hadn’t seen any, so he used some butter he found to melt in the skillet.
He lit the burners beneath both the pans, noticing that the fire appeared right away without the need for a spark.
Lucius grabbed the pack of meat and unpackaged it. He used a cutting board to shape the meat into small balls. When he had made 40 or so meatballs he transferred them over into the skillet. He seasoned them with salt and pepper.
The water in the pot had started to boil and Luke put in the pasta to cook. He expertly moved between stirring the pasta and flipping the meatballs, making sure they cooked fully through.
He scooped up a noodle and ate it, finding it to be the right consistency. The boiling hot water was drained into the sink, before he put in the tomato sauce and stirred.
The meatballs finished soon after and Luke mixed them with the pasta, before finding two bowl-plates. He plated the dish evenly between the two and placed them on the table.
A piece of paper was already laying under the pen, which Luke dragged across the table and wrote on:
Voila, my world famous pasta and meatballs.
This was a lie, but he had always liked his own cooking so he let Valeria read the joke.
She acknowledged the words before she picked up the spoon and took the first bite.
She chewed and swallowed, as Luke watched.
He could see the corners of her mouth curl upwards, before promptly returning to their usual resting position.
